cancry | Acedia Intro Log

MOVING ONWARDS
With Lana's blessing and direction it's at last time for the Executors to proceed deeper into Purgatory. Despite the downtime, the sense of unease that settled in you before has yet to wane, even at the prospect of making further progress in your journey. Unanswered questions still linger, as does the possibility that for all the progress you've made there still exists roadblocks that could keep you from fulfilling the duty you've taken on to Purgatory. Strangely, though, you feel your spirits lift as you begin your descent. Part of it is the relief that comes from the drop in temperature but mostly, you feel embraced by a sense of deep comfort and relaxation. As the snowy white landscape and gentle colours of Acedia swim into focus below you, it brins with it a sureness that whatever was going wrong before that none of it matters - you'll figure it out.
ACEDIA
♪♫ Blossom – Sakuzyo A gentle, fluffy snowfall tumbles down ceaselessly over Acedia, the Sloth Layer. In contrast to the layers above, things here are chilly enough to warrant wrapping up warm and an occasional gust of wind seems to blow right through you. With snow blanketed everywhere, all the bustle of the town seems quite muffled and far away and the overall vibe of the settlement is... sleepy. Peaceful. If it weren't for the fact that you know you're in Purgatory, you could almost be fooled into thinking that nothing bad could or would happen in a place like this. Initial explorations uncover the town's purpose - Acedia takes the form of an onsen town, a settlement built and centered around the many natural hot springs that have sprung up in the area. Traditional inns with luxurious rooms and serving all manner of incredible feasts can be occupied free of charge with waitstaff who'll serve you like a visiting king. Even aside from the springs and the inns, the whole town is packed to the brim with the sort of entertaintment you might find in a town in the snowy mountains, but all of it comes at a gentle, relaxing pace as if the very existence of this town relied upon easing your heart and your troubles. More so than the town, though, perhaps the familiar faces you encounter here will be enough to bring you some comfort... AREAS OF INTEREST ⚝ HOT SPRINGS: A number of natural hot springs can be found and visited in this layer. Some are indoor and some are outdoor with spectacular views of the snowy landscape. ⚝ RESTAURANTS: Feeling peckish? Eateries serving cuisine of any sort line the streets and all of it is free of charge. If there's anything you can imagine wanting to eat, chances are good you'll find it here. ⚝ MOUNTAIN: The town as a whole sits at the base of a mountain with a towering peak. If you squint, you see what you think is some sort of structure at the very top... but surely not. Who would want to live in a place as lonely as that?
THE DOPPELGANGERS
As discussed on Discord, the Executors aren't the only ones who seem to have found their way down to Acedia. Once they arrive in the Sloth Layer, each of the Executors will come across up to three of their castmates who seem to have been occupying the Layer for quite some time before their arrival. Each of these castmates will tell roughly the same story - they were once Executors too and found their way this deep into Purgatory but have found no way of progressing any further. They have tried every possible way to escape but no matter how long they stay here, they can't proceed any further. Despite the news, all of them seem happy and fulfilled and will encourage the Executors to try and settle here in Acedia and simply enjoy the miracle that is their reunion. It probably goes without saying that these are not actually the Executors' castmates. They are, essentially, a tangible illusion based on their memories of their loved ones. They can be talked to, touched, interacted with and basically treated like any other real person and the trickery is, at first, imperceptible. As time passes, it will become increasingly clear that there are some conflicts and missing spots in the doppelganger's memory of their lives together and confronting them on this will have them respond in confusion. If you continue to confront them on the conflict, they will become increasingly upset and eventually violent. Who is casting this illusion and why, though? Well... that's something the Executors will have to investigate themselves.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Monarch would like to speak to the ~~other~~ reformed villain of the party! He told Wolfsbane he would, to see whether Birdie will answer any of his Questions (because of course Monarch has questions). So he'll be poking around where the Executors all hang out, learning his way but also seeking her.....

She was described as "Rei, but not"......he wonders what that means.....

Well, it's not too hard to see once he finally tracks her down. She's a bit of a loner, but she's not too far from where the Executors usually gather when they're in Acedia. Most obvious is how similar her face is to Rei's and most startling is the abyssal black cracks splintered all across her face. Our girl's been through it a bit!

Either way, Monarch is, unfortunately, going to have to be the one who kickstarts this conversation because Birdie certainly doesn't seem to be the chatty type... but if she's an ally of the Executors then surely that's fine?

Starting a conversation: the most hellish part of Purgatory.

Monarch takes a deep breath. Tries not to worry about what must have happened for her face to look like that. Tries not to think "if I'd been there...". He reminds himself that Wolfsbane-san, of all people, believes in him. He doesn't think her good opinion is easily won, so that means quite a bit.

Then he walks stiffly up to Birdie and goes right for it.

"Sorry to interject. I just returned, and I have some questions."

You gonna introduce yourself, buddy? No?

Okay.

She blinks in surprise when he approaches and turns to face him – she'd had a bit of a faraway expression but once Monarch speaks up, she focuses. Her gaze is... kind of intense?? It's always like that, so the other Executors might be used to it at this point but it might be a little unsettling for poor Monarch to be subjected to for the first time.

"... Executor. You came from the upper levels?"

He nods. "Superbia. I'd been--"

But it doesn't matter what he'd been doing. He's ashamed, now, of having shifted his priorities. Perhaps because Superbia had felt somewhat nostalgic? Or like....like experiences he'd never gotten to have, a normal school life.....what could that mean....

No, he has to focus. Even if his brain freezes up when subjected to that scrutiny.

"In any case, I'm back. Monarch."

We've graduated to introductions devoid of context!

"I see."

It seems like that's all she's going to say at first. She doesn't return the introduction but maybe that's understandable, given the Fraught Identity Drama of it all. She keeps Monarch fixed with that steely gaze and though it's heavy, there doesn't seem to be any malice or ill will.

Eventually, she cocks her head. Bird-like.

"You may ask your questions – once you've answered one in turn. Why did you return?"

That one, huh. But it's only fair. He's going to ask her some difficult things, so if he isn't up for answering the same, he'd have no right...And it's not like he doesn't have an answer. Not like he doesn't believe he's on the right path now.

"I was wrong," he replies. "I thought there were things I could do to help, in Superbia. And there were. But the things only I can do........the things I need to do......that no one else can do, just me....."

He no longer looks anxious.

"Those are here."

". . . I see."

She... stares at him for an unsettling amount of time. Her gaze is still as intense as it was a moment ago, but now she's transparently looking him up and down like she's trying to discern something that can't be picked up with eyes alone. This little Executor came running all the way down, so close to the Cogs, just to do what he felt was his duty.

Maybe they all feel like that. And that's why they're here.

After what feels like an age, she nods in turn.

"... ask your question."

Monarch stands firm amid the scrutiny, though internally he wants to fidget. What's she seeing....? What about him is having her see it? He has no way to know.

So it's a relief when whatever mysterious factor she was measuring seems enough. He decides to just speak plainly. She might be the one who knows this....the only one, aside from the culprit. So....

"Why......did the Cogs break? What was the person who did it after?"

She clicks her tongue. That's the real question here, isn't it?

"I can't entirely speak for her, of course." she says eventually. "But if I were to guess... freedom. Out of ignorance or naivety, she believed going through the Cogs would grant the same freedom it does to all the other souls here. But as an existence born of Purgatory, there was nothing for the Cogs to erase – they simply recognized something like and yet unlike themselves and cannibalized themselves in the process of trying to chew it to pieces."

She gives a grim smile.

"Does that answer your question?"

Her.......

So, someone from Purgatory, who wanted to.....

......it was......

an accident? All of this, all of this pain, and stasis, and.....everyone who's unable to move on, it was all because....

He's not sure he believes it. He's not sure he can believe it. (Or is it "wants" to believe it?) But he has another question, first.

"Who was it?"

The look she continues to give him ices over just a little until isn't exactly a smile anymore – it's too grim and there's not enough mirth to it. But she looks bemused, somehow, even if nothing about this situation is funny in the least.

"You really can't guess?"

Or maybe he just doesn't want to.

Can't....guess....?

Can't......

.................................

........................................................

He doesn't speak, yet. But it dawns on his face - a sensation of can't be at war with can't not be.

Oh.

"I see you've reached your conclusion."

For what it's worth she doesn't sound at all pleased to have dropped this bombshell on him – not that it makes it any less unpleasant to be stuck in the blast radius.

"Really, I'm shocked that none of you had sooner."

".....It was an accident."

He's trying to make sense of that, stuck, just like the Cogs she's admitted to having disrupted. It was an accident, and it was caused by the girl in front of him. By Rei-san.....by....sort-of-Rei-san.

"Everything everyone went through.....the greater purpose....."

There wasn't one....?

She cocks her head and that faintly bemused smile rises to her face again.

"I don't imagine there was one." she says eventually. "But is there ever? Souls are born. They perish, find their way here, release themselves from their burdens and return to the world of the living. If there was a greater purpose to this system intended by whatever power established it, I've yet to divine it for myself."

Pun intended? We will never know.

Acedia Intro Log

BIRDIE WING

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